Fórum Canario Saharaui condemns Polisario Front leader's apology for terrorism

The Fórum Canario Saharaui has condemned the incitement and apology of terrorism by Bachir Mustafa Sayed, leader of the Polisario Front, who recently urged Saharawis to commit terrorist acts against Moroccan interests in any part of Western Sahara. 

The Forum considers it "unacceptable for a leader to use his position to promote violence and terrorism". 

The official statement of the Fórum Canario Saharaui is reproduced below: 

Official communiqué of the Fórum Canario Saharaui: 

We condemn the incitement and apology of terrorism by the leader of the Polisario Front and denounce new cases of repression in Tindouf. 

The Fórum Canario Saharaui strongly condemns the recent declarations of the leader of the Polisario Front, Bachir Mustafa Sayed, in which he incited the Saharawis to commit terrorist acts against Moroccan interests in any part of Western Sahara. Among others, his words were: "Let each one convince three and go out to attack, each militant must detonate three or four of these explosives every night in the cities of Smara, Dakhla or Boujdour". This is undoubtedly violent and dangerous rhetoric that threatens peace and security in the region. 

It is unacceptable for a leader to use his position to promote violence and terrorism. Such irresponsible statements not only undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute, but also increase tension in an already troubled region. It is therefore unacceptable and counterproductive for the democratic principles and values of peaceful coexistence that should prevail in our society. 

At this point we would like to recall that this subject has been invited and connivently sponsored by certain local political sectors, especially the Cabildo of Gran Canaria. This is demonstrated by the participation of the aforementioned Sayed in a conference organised by this institution in 2018, which was denounced at the time by the Sahrawi Association for the Defence of Human Rights (ASADEDH), as Sayed was then charged in the National Court for serious human rights violations in the refugee camps. 

Furthermore, the Fórum Canario Saharaui wants to denounce the terrible human rights situation in the Tindouf camps, where the Polisario Front keeps its own population under brutal repression, seriously affecting the daily life of the refugees. The situation in Tindouf is critical, with frequent violations of rights, arbitrary arrests and repression of peaceful demonstrations. These abuses are not isolated events, but part of a pattern of systematic repression that has been repeatedly condemned. 

One of the most recent cases is that of Mahmouda Hameida Said, a victim of abuse, repression and imprisonment by the Polisario authorities. The case of Mahmouda Hameida is particularly worrying. Said was arrested and ill-treated for expressing her discontent with the situation in the camps, a clear example of the repression faced by the refugee population on a daily basis. 

From the Fórum Canario Saharaui, we reaffirm our commitment to the defence of Human Rights and the search for a peaceful and just solution to the conflict in Western Sahara through the Moroccan autonomy proposal, as this Forum has been advocating since 2007. We urge all parties involved and the international community to take concrete steps to put an end to the violence and repression in Tindouf and to promote, once and for all, a dialogue leading to a lasting peace.